Departure: Fortunately, It’s You
Just after shaking off Jiang Yantang, Su Xiaoman hadn’t even made it back to the Zhou family’s house when she ran into Zhang Lili, who had come to talk to her privately.
Zhang Lili called out to her, and the two went into an empty storage room.
Su Xiaoman couldn’t help but wonder what was going on today. The male and female leads had both sought her out for conversations. Did they need her, the side character, to act as a catalyst for their feelings?
She had nothing to say to Jiang Yantang, and even less to say to Zhang Lili, who was from the same village. At the train station before, Su Xiaoman had already sensed the hostility Zhang Lili harboured toward her.
She didn’t want to provoke the original heroine, but if Zhang Lili came looking for trouble, she wasn’t afraid.
“Zhang Lili, what do you want?” Su Xiaoman placed the basket she was carrying on the ground. It was full of freshly picked wild fruits, and she certainly wasn’t planning on giving any to the male or female leads. She intended to bring them back for Xie Mingtu.
When Zhang Lili saw Su Xiaoman, her heart skipped a beat. She looked at her in panic and disbelief.
She hadn’t expected that Su Xiaoman had become even more beautiful in the past few days. There was always a serene smile on her face, as if something good had happened, and all the shadows in her life had been swept away.
Standing in front of her was a radiant girl, her lively eyes filled with an enchanting smile. It was hard not to be charmed by her.
Even though Zhang Lili was also a woman, she couldn’t help but feel a tremor in her heart when she saw Su Xiaoman.
Su Xiaoman was too beautiful.
Wouldn’t men fall for her?
Although she believed that her ideal man, Jiang Yantang, wasn’t someone shallow enough to be swayed by appearances, Zhang Lili’s sense of crisis only grew stronger.
Zhang Lili took a deep breath to calm herself, gaining the courage to stare at Su Xiaoman and speak solemnly: “Su Xiaoman, you need to stop bothering Comrade Jiang.”
“You’re already a married woman. If you keep getting involved with other men, that’s just being unfaithful, and Comrade Jiang would never be interested in a woman like you.”
Su Xiaoman raised an eyebrow, her tone light and teasing: “Oh? Is that so?”
“And in what capacity are you telling me this?”
Zhang Lili’s words made Su Xiaoman uncomfortable.
Seeing Su Xiaoman’s indifferent and slightly provocative attitude, Zhang Lili jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She warned, “Su Xiaoman, do you even know what kind of family Comrade Jiang comes from? You only know how to chase after status, but someone from a cadre family like his is beyond the reach of a simple village girl like you!”
“Even if you manage to deceive Comrade Jiang into marrying you, his family would never accept you, and you’d be kicked out by the Jiang family sooner or later.” Thinking about how Su Xiaoman had been thrown out of the Jiang family and sent back to the village in their previous life, Zhang Lili felt a sense of satisfaction.
Yes, even if Su Xiaoman schemed to marry Jiang Yantang, it wouldn’t end well. She’d be driven out and become a disgraceful divorcee.
Su Xiaoman looked at her, unimpressed. “Why are you telling me this out of nowhere?”
Seeing that Su Xiaoman didn’t take her words to heart, Zhang Lili felt like a clown performing tricks, hopping around in front of her.
“Su Xiaoman, I’m advising you to live a good life with Xie Mingtu and not change your mind. Even if you manage to get close to Comrade Jiang, nothing good will come of it. What if you—”
Su Xiaoman interrupted her: “What could possibly happen?”
Zhang Lili really seemed to enjoy making up stories, acting as though she was offering some kind of well-meaning advice. It was deeply irritating.
What did any of this have to do with her?
“Su Xiaoman, have you no shame? Don’t you know how disgraceful it is for a rural woman to get divorced? Your father, your mother, and your brothers won’t be able to hold their heads high in the village!”
“You’re just a slightly prettier village girl. When Comrade Jiang returns to the city, the daughters of cadre families there will be well-educated, beautiful, and cultured. And don’t forget about the talented girls from the art troupes—do you really think Comrade Jiang will still look at you?”
Su Xiaoman laughed softly and countered, “If he won’t look at me, would he look at you instead?”
She continued coolly, “You like Comrade Jiang, so why don’t you go chase after him yourself? Coming to me, a ‘married woman,’ and talking about Comrade Jiang this and Comrade Jiang that—it’s you who should be ashamed.”
Zhang Lili, hit right in her weak spot, became flustered. She instinctively raised her voice to retort, “Who says I like Comrade Jiang?!”
Her tone was defensive, making her denial all the more suspicious.
“I was just trying to give you some advice.”
Su Xiaoman nodded, her tone sarcastic, “Yes, such kind advice. And, by the way, when I fell into the water that time, it was because of your ‘kind’ interference with Comrade Jiang, which allowed Xie Mingtu to save me instead.”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you did on purpose. Let me ask you—if Xie Mingtu hadn’t come to save me, weren’t you afraid that I might drown in front of you because of your delay?”
“Where was your ‘kind heart’ then?”
Su Xiaoman stared directly at Zhang Lili, “Zhang Lili, you have a truly malicious heart!”
Zhang Lili was caught off guard by Su Xiaoman’s accusation. She had no idea Su Xiaoman knew about what had happened. She panicked, her thoughts scrambled, and tried to justify herself: “I just didn’t want Comrade Jiang to be entangled with a woman like you.”
Yes! She was just trying to help Comrade Jiang.
“Su Xiaoman, you deliberately fell into the water, and you have the nerve to accuse me.”
Su Xiaoman crossed her arms and replied, “In reality, you were the one desperate to be with Comrade Jiang. You didn’t dare to act openly, so you resorted to underhanded tricks. Zhang Lili, you’re really dark inside.”
Zhang Lili, struck by the truth of Su Xiaoman’s words, stammered for a long time, unable to come up with a defence.
“I don’t like Comrade Jiang anymore, so stop dragging me into your business with him.”
“Oh, and by the way, you should take that kind advice you were giving me and apply it to yourself.”
Without bothering to look at Zhang Lili’s reaction, Su Xiaoman picked up her basket and walked to the door of the storage room. She pushed open the old, dusty wooden door.
Creak—
The door opened.
To her surprise, there were several people standing outside—Zhao Qingqing, Jiang Yantang, and He Liang. Su Xiaoman’s sharp eyes also spotted a familiar figure hiding under an osmanthus tree in the distance.
Even if he tried to hide, she could recognize that figure anywhere.
That guy could definitely hear everything!!!
The reason those three were standing outside was mainly due to Zhao Qingqing, who loved gossip and drama. She had seen Zhang Lili sneak off to talk to Su Xiaoman privately, so she followed them to eavesdrop and see what they were discussing.
Who would have thought they’d be talking about Comrade Jiang?
As it happened, He Liang had passed by and, upon hearing that his former girlfriend Zhang Lili was inside, he also started eavesdropping. Since He Liang and Zhao Qingqing were too conspicuous, Jiang Yantang had come over to see what was going on.
Now there was a small gathering at the door, almost enough to play a round of mahjong.
Zhao Qingqing, completely unfazed, waved and smiled at her. “We were just passing by.”
As a complete outsider, Zhao Qingqing was just there to enjoy the gossip and watch the drama unfold. None of the messy situations had anything to do with her.
Su Xiaoman: “…”
He Liang: “…”
Jiang Yantang: “…”
Inside, Zhang Lili saw the group standing outside, and her face turned deathly pale. She looked as though she might collapse at any moment.
Without greeting anyone, Su Xiaoman picked up her basket and walked over to the osmanthus tree, where she was going to catch her “puppy.”
He Liang, his expression unreadable, shot a cold look at Zhang Lili, spat on the ground, and said, “Hmph, seems like the one who’s really fickle is you.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Jiang Yantang’s expression was equally complicated. What he had just learned completely overturned his understanding. He hadn’t expected that day, Zhang Lili had deliberately stopped him…
Su Xiaoman, clutching her basket, walked over to the osmanthus tree, where she grabbed Xie Mingtu by the sleeve. This silly puppy had been hesitating under the tree for a while but hadn’t left.
“Manman…” Xie Mingtu mumbled.
A cool autumn breeze blew by, intensifying the fragrance of the osmanthus flowers. Some of the small, pale-yellow flowers fell into the basket. Su Xiaoman pulled out a freshly picked wild fruit, peeled it, and brought it to Xie Mingtu’s mouth.
“Try it, I picked it myself.”
Overjoyed, Xie Mingtu accepted the wild fruit, though he couldn’t really taste anything. The things he had just learned left him feeling both relieved and grateful.
If Zhang Lili hadn’t stopped Jiang Yantang that day, it would have been Jiang Yantang who saved Su Xiaoman, and Su Xiaoman would have ended up marrying Jiang Yantang.
The mere thought of this possibility filled Xie Mingtu with dread and frustration.
He held the woman he loved tightly in his arms, afraid that if he let go, she might disappear.
“You’re holding me too tight,” Su Xiaoman teased, tapping him on the chin. “Loosen up, you clingy puppy.”
“Manman…”
“Xie Mingtu, I never formally thanked you before, but thank you for saving me that day.” Su Xiaoman still vividly remembered the feeling of nearly drowning. Regardless of why she had fallen into the water that day, the sensation of suffocating and nearing death had been all too real.
It was this man in front of her who had pulled her out of the water.
She truly owed him her gratitude.
Xie Mingtu held her even tighter, his voice low: “…I’m just glad it was me.”
Su Xiaoman chuckled and hugged him back. “Yes, I’m glad it was you.”
“Let me ask you something. Why did you rush to save me that day without hesitation?”
Although they were from the same village, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu had never had much interaction before. One was the village beauty, and the other was more or less invisible in the village.
Xie Mingtu mumbled, “Drowning is a terrible feeling.”
He still remembered from his childhood, when he didn’t know how to swim. His second brother had pushed him into the water, and he had struggled desperately while the other children on the shore laughed at him.
“Climb out! Swim up by yourself!”
“Even dogs know how to paddle!”
…
The memories of that bleak past flashed before his eyes. Sometimes, having a good memory could be a painful thing. Xie Mingtu’s face darkened, his brows furrowed.
Recently, his once numb heart had come alive, but thinking back on those memories cast a shadow over his mood.
Suddenly, lost in his thoughts, Xie Mingtu felt a kiss land on his face. Startled, he looked down and saw Su Xiaoman gazing at him with warmth in her eyes.
In an instant, all the shadows disappeared, replaced by a glow of happiness.
“Thank you, Mingtu.”
“Manman…”
I should be the one thanking you.
Su Xiaoman and the others were packing up to leave. With the silk quilt that Sister Shun had given her, the red silk fabric that Xie Mingtu had bought, and the set of clothes she had made for Xie Mingtu, they had a lot more luggage than when they arrived.
The educated youths, including Zhao Qingqing, were also packing up. It was said that the educated youth point had even organized a farewell party for them. But the real point of the party wasn’t the farewell—it was just an excuse to gather and pool money for a big meal.
Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu didn’t participate in those activities.
Meanwhile, He Liang and Zhou Xiaohong had broken up. Apparently, Zhou Xiaohong had found out that Zhang Lili was He Liang’s ex, and had gone to flaunt herself in front of Zhang Lili. However, Zhang Lili wasn’t one to be pushed around and had cursed He Liang as a scumbag, leading to a loud argument. Both Zhou Xiaohong and He Liang showed their true colours.
He Liang now knew about Zhou Xiaohong’s past misdeeds in the village. As a scholarly man who valued his reputation, and coming from a family that cared deeply about face, there was no way his family would accept a woman with such a shady background.
So, the two of them split up.
Zhou Xiaohong still wanted to hold onto He Liang, but he was eager to escape.
Tang Jianqiang was also eager to return to the village, but the only one who seemed reluctant to leave was Grandpa Chen. He seemed to be having too much fun chatting and enjoying himself, like an old man who had forgotten about home.
…
No matter what, it was time to return.
They had also ordered a batch of mulberry seedlings. Once they returned, they would need to organize people to start planting the seedlings, some of which would require grafting.
Zhou Xiaofeng was reluctant to see Su Xiaoman go. When they said their goodbyes, both of them were filled with emotion, making the two men standing nearby feel a pang of jealousy.
When they parted, Su Xiaoman gave Zhou Xiaofeng a few hand-embroidered handkerchiefs she had made herself, and in return, Zhou Xiaofeng gave Su Xiaoman a wristwatch she had worn.
Su Xiaoman didn’t want to accept the watch, but Zhou Xiaofeng insisted.
“Xiaoman, I’ll miss you. I hope we’ll have a chance to meet again in the future.”
The watch had been a birthday gift to Zhou Xiaofeng, something she had always cherished and worn only a few times. Now that she was married, Yang Changgui had given her a new watch, and she was wearing that one. Both she and her husband were extremely grateful to Su Xiaoman. Without her, they wouldn’t have had such a happy and memorable wedding.
Zhou Heqiang also supported young people staying connected. After spending time with Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu, he understood their abilities and character. He believed that this young rural couple wouldn’t lead ordinary lives in the future. Building a good relationship with them now could only be beneficial.
…
Just like when they arrived, they left the place by tractor.
Su Xiaoman and her group boarded the train. On the return trip, they would pass through the famous Bo’an City. After some discussion, the group decided to get off at Bo’an City to explore for half a day and purchase some needed items.
After all, this was a rare opportunity to be out, and even Grandpa Chen supported the idea.
Most of their train tickets were seated together, though a few were a little scattered. Su Xiaoman held her ticket, which was for a window seat. Xie Mingtu’s ticket was next to hers, in the middle seat.
Once she sat down, Su Xiaoman, feeling more comfortable than before, leaned against Xie Mingtu and smiled, hugging his arm. She realized that in just a few days, she had gotten used to having such an intimate partner by her side.
The two of them, sticking together, didn’t seem to tire of each other.
Xie Mingtu was wearing a set of clothes she had personally made for him. He looked extremely handsome, tall, and attractive. As soon as he boarded the train, he caught the attention of many people, even the train attendant glanced at him several times.
Some girls even tried to approach him, but upon seeing Su Xiaoman intimately close to him, they reluctantly gave up and shook their heads.
At lunchtime, they ordered two lunchboxes, as usual. Su Xiaoman picked at her food and shared her meal with Xie Mingtu. The lunchboxes at that time were quite large, with plenty of rice, more than Su Xiaoman could finish. However, when it came to Xie Mingtu’s appetite… Su Xiaoman wasn’t quite sure how much he could eat.
From what she had seen, it seemed like he could eat however much was available.
Su Xiaoman had noticed that while staying at the Zhou family’s house, Xie Mingtu’s food intake was about the same as Zhou Heqiang’s, occasionally eating a bit more. This was already much more than what he had eaten at the Xie family’s house. With more food and better nutrition, he no longer looked as skinny as before, though still thin, he had gained a bit of weight and looked much healthier.
Su Xiaoman wasn’t sure if he ever felt full, but if she gave him food, he would certainly eat it.
Young men in their twenties had insatiable appetites.
Seeing how he had cleaned out two lunchboxes, Su Xiaoman decided that next time, she would order three portions to see if he could finish it all.
Once their bellies were full, sleepiness set in. Su Xiaoman leaned against Xie Mingtu’s arm and quickly dozed off.
Zhao Qingqing, seated across from them, had been observing the couple. In her secretive assessment, she noticed a subtle change in their relationship. While many people didn’t believe that Su Xiaoman would truly want to stay with Xie Mingtu, Zhao Qingqing thought it might actually be true.
Xie Mingtu was a good man, always attentive to Su Xiaoman’s needs along the way, showing her great care and affection. He was tall, handsome, and gentlemanly. So many women passing by couldn’t help but envy Su Xiaoman.
Su Xiaoman’s luck really had turned around. People once said she had been pitifully forced into marrying the impoverished Xie Mingtu. But Xie Mingtu had cleaned himself up, and now he looked even more striking than Jiang Yantang.
Although his family background might not match Jiang Yantang’s, Xie Mingtu had a unique charm of his own. Zhao Qingqing had seen handsome boys in the city during her school days—boys who dressed stylishly, posed dramatically by windows, or feigned deep thought. However, to others, these boys often came across as pretentious.
Her gaze rested on the couple across from her. Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu really seemed like a perfect match—both good-looking and from similar backgrounds. Their relationship seemed built on mutual respect.
Zhao Qingqing thought back to how Su Xiaoman used to chase after Comrade Jiang, always fawning over him. Now, standing by Xie Mingtu’s side, she seemed more radiant and charismatic than ever.
A good relationship truly made people better.
Zhao Qingqing, though she loved to watch the drama unfold, suddenly felt envious. She hoped that one day she, too, could have a relationship built on equality like theirs.
When they arrived at Bo’an City, the group disembarked and split up. After storing their luggage at the station and agreeing on a time to reconvene, they went their separate ways.
Naturally, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu paired up, without inviting anyone else. As they left the station, Bo’an City’s bustling streets unfolded before them.
The streets were busy and lively, with rows of buildings on either side. Young men and women rode bicycles, ringing their bells as they passed through intersections.
Though the city seemed lively, to Su Xiaoman, it was just a few streets. But to Xie Mingtu, this was a modern and prosperous city. The heavy traffic, the bustling shops, and the swarms of cyclists—all of it was so far removed from the world he had grown up in.
In the face of such an environment, he couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place.
Su Xiaoman noticed his nervousness. She took his hand, and together they boarded a bus.
They got off at the Xinhua Bookstore.
Inside, Su Xiaoman bought a geography book that included maps of the country and the world, as well as the geography and customs of various places. She also bought a world history book and one on basic science.
She handed the books to Xie Mingtu, hoping that after reading them, he would understand that their future wasn’t confined to the small world of Qinghe Commune—there was a much larger world out there.
Given Xie Mingtu’s abilities, he wouldn’t be limited to a small rural village forever.
Su Xiaoman also planned to get a library card when they returned to the county, so that Xie Mingtu could borrow books. With his nearly photographic memory, he should read as much as possible.
After buying the books, they went shopping for other items. Having come all this way, they needed to bring gifts back for their family, especially the elders. Otherwise, it would be considered disrespectful.
Since it was the dry autumn-winter season, Su Xiaoman bought a lot of popular items among women, such as snow cream, hair oil, soap, and toothbrushes. Because she bought so much, the shopkeeper even threw in a handkerchief that had some ink stains on it and couldn’t be sold.
“You’re getting a bargain. If this handkerchief didn’t have ink stains, it would cost several yuan.”
After finishing that round of shopping, Su Xiaoman bought a pound of fruit candy, some malted milk, and other edible items. They also went to the market to pick out tobacco leaves and two brand-new pipes.
Although Xie Mingtu didn’t smoke, he knew how to pick out good tobacco leaves. Hearing that the tobacco was for Su Xiaoman’s father, he carefully helped her compare products until they found the best ones.
“We’ll know if you chose well when my dad tries it,” Su Xiaoman teased.
Once they had finished shopping, the two returned to the train station.
Leave a Reply